Disposable cameras provide a relatively inexpensive method for a user to capture memories on a photosensitive film without purchasing an expensive camera or if they have forgotten their camera while away from home (e.g., while on vacation). Disposable cameras are often sold in convenient places close to places where a user may have a need for such a camera, such as in convenience stores, shopping malls, or vacation places. A typical disposable camera includes a plastic housing, lens and shutter system, a film advance system, and photosensitive film preloaded within the housing. Images are captured on the film. The film is advanced manually. After the maximum number of pictures have been taken, the entire camera is brought to a developer. The developer removes the film from the camera for processing. The camera is either disposed of by the developer, or portions of the camera may be recycled by the manufacturer for reuse in a new one-time-use camera and resold to a consumer.
More advanced disposable cameras include a flash system and battery which automatically recharges for the next subsequent picture. Other electronics may be included within the disposable camera, such as an LED indicator for notifying a user that the flash has recharged to a level suitable for use.
Disposable cameras have many limitations. Disposable cameras typically do not employ focusable lens systems or autofocus lens systems, limiting picture quality. Further, since typical disposable cameras are manual, many other automatic features are not included with the camera such as automatic film advance and camera display features. Known disposable cameras are also limited to capturing an image on a photosensitive medium (i.e., film) and are not capable of storing video (i.e., motion) or sound. Images captured on film using the disposable camera are not directly available in a digital format.
Digital cameras utilize image sensor technology and memory storage for capturing and storing images in a digital format. The digital format allows images to be available instantly with no need for a chemical development process necessary for a conventional camera using light-sensitive films. The image is captured utilizing a charge coupled device (CCD) or CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors. Camera electronics are utilized for converting the image into a digital format. The number of pictures a user may take is limited by the size and type of memory included in the digital camera. Once the camera memory is full, it can be downloaded to a personal computer or other device and the pictures are deleted from the camera.
Modern digital cameras use removable memory storage, typically in the form of a memory card. Once a memory card is full it can be removed from the camera and replaced by a another memory card. Also, with additional hardware, memory cards can be inserted directly into a personal computer and photos read to the personal computer similar to accessing a hard disk drive. One known removable memory storage is CompactFlash available from SanDisk Corporation. CompactFlash cards weigh very little (approximately 11.4 grams) and are 43×36×3.3 mm. CompactFlash cards are based on flash memory technology and provide non-volatile storage of digital images. Known CompactFlash cards have memory capacities in the range of 4 megabytes to 48 megabytes. Another known removable memory storage is a Smart Media card (also known as SSFDC—solid state floppy disk card) available from Toshiba Corporation. Smart Media cards are smaller and lighter than compact flash cards, weighing 0.48 grams with a form factor of 45×37 mm and a thickness of only 0.78 mm. Smart Media cards have a memory storage capacity less than CompactFlash cards, with a known maximum capacity in the range of 16 megabytes. Known higher-end or professional digital cameras may use very small hard disk drives, known as microdrives, as their storage medium. One known microdrive is available from IBM Corporation. The IBM microdrive uses a single one-inch diameter platter that weighs just 16 grams and spins at 4,500 rpms. The microdrives have much higher capacity than flash memory but consume substantially more space and power. At this time, the use of disk drives as a storage medium for everyday use digital cameras are even more impractical due to fragility and reliability reasons, because of the moving parts and extremely tight mechanical tolerances to which the hard drives are built.
The need exists for a relatively inexpensive disposable camera which includes the benefits of digital cameras such as storing a captured image in a digital format, including the ability to store both still and video images, with sound, in a digital format.